Unlike neighboring Cyrodiil and Morrowind, Skyrim doesn’t have a branch of the Mages' Guild from previous games inThe Elder Scrolls. The Nords of Skyrim don’t have a strong tradition in magic and are largely untrusting of mages and sorcerers, but every Jarl has a court mage and the College of Winterhold still functions as an institution of magic even if it’s independent of the Mages' Guild. That independence means freedom from the rules of the Guild, but because ofSkyrim’s reaction to necromancyand magic, oneSkyrimquest reward sticks out like a sore thumb.
One of the biggest differences between the Mages' Guild and the College of Winterhold is their position on necromancy. The Mages' Guild outright bans it in Cyrodiil and Morrowind, but the College permits it on its grounds, even if they dissuade mages from using it away from the College. Necromancy as a whole is permitted across most of the Empire, the only province where it is outlawed is Morrowind. However, necromancers don’t have a good reputation in Skyrim, and many of them are pushed to the fringes of society and become criminals as they pursue their studies which is why most of the necromancers encountered inSkyrimare hostile.
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How is Necromancy Used in The Elder Scrolls?
Necromancy is a form of Conjuration magic that involves summoning the dead. The most controversial branch uses Black Soul Gems to reanimate corpses. Unlike normal soul gems, Black Soul Gems only use the souls of people, implying that the necromancer has murdered to practice the craft. There are, however, other forms of necromancy that are completely harmless and merely only involve summoning what was once alive to the plane of the living.
One such spell is a reward inDawnguardafter completion of the quest “Find Arvak’s Skull"in the Soul Cairn. Upon entering the Cairn, the Dragonborn will encounter a spirit frantically calling for his horse, who ran from monsters and has been running ever since. If the Dragonborn finds Arvak’s skull, the spirit will teach them a spell to summon Arvak. The spell works in the Soul Cairn and in Skyrim.
Why Arvak is Skyrim’s Best Horse
Arvak is a dead horse and looks like one; but despite this, he’s incredibly loyal, appears when called, runs fast, and is great for absorbing fall damage.Summon Arvak is an Apprentice-level spell inSkyrimthat uses very little Magicka, so nearly every Dragonborn can summon him. Arvak can be re-summoned if he dies, meaning the player never has to worry about their horse dying in combat. Summoning Arvak is also practicing necromancy, a spell that essentially turns the Dragonborn into a necromancer.
While necromancy doesn’t have a good reputation inThe Elder Scrolls, Serana and her mother spend a good part ofDawnguardconvincing the Dragonborn that necromancy isn’t all murder and reanimating corpses. Arvak was just a scared horse who was loyal to his owner and now has the chance to run free again through the Dragonborn’s magic. Like meetingDurnehviir inSkyrim’s Soul Cairn, who is a necromancer but also a dragon, this perspective opens the world ofThe Elder Scrollsand presents new opportunities.
The spell to summon Arvak is a great quest reward that expands uponThe Elder Scroll’s lore surrounding necromancy, makes Tamriel a little more nuanced, gives some interesting character development to the Dragonborn, and gives them a new spell that’s unique and one of the most useful in the game. It’s a great use of a quest reward, especially for a minor side quest, and there needs to be more like it going forward. Perhaps inThe Elder Scrolls 6,there’ll be more examples of spells pushing boundaries like Arvak.
The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrimis out now for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
